Twisting Spindle and Use of a Self-Threading Thread Guide or Centering Eye in the Area of a Protective Hood of a Twisting Spindle

ABSTRACT

A twisting spindle has a spindle pot whose top part is formed by a spindle cover and at its upper side is provided with a centrally arranged thread guide or centering eye. The thread guide or centering eye has a lateral slot provided with guide surfaces. The lateral slot opens into an operating opening arranged in the upper side of the cover and automatically guides a thread placed into the operating opening into the central opening of the thread guide.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a twisting spindle comprising a spindle head whose top part is formed by a spindle cover (protective hood) which is provided at its upper side with a centrally arranged thread guide or centering eye.

[0002] In such a twisting spindle, disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,404,703 and 5,329,755, an annular closed thread guide or centering eye is provided in the upper side of a truncated cone shaped spindle cover or protective hood through which the thread, which is removed overhead from the feed package inserted into the spindle pot, is guided before it is combined or twisted with a second thread; the second thread is removed from a second feed package arranged outside of the spindle pot and is guided, according to the principle of a two-for-one twisting spindle, through the hollow axle of the spindle and circulates about the spindle pot while forming a balloon.

[0003] In practice, it was found, that the use of an annular closed thread guide or centering eye inserted in the upper side of the spindle cover makes the operating labor before starting up the spindle extremely difficult and very time-consuming.

[0004] DE 923 426 A1 describes a thread brake for a thread which is guided through a tube. The thread brake comprises a brake disk forming a first brake surface which rests against the upper tube edge forming the second brake surface. The peripheral surface of the tube is provided with a slot which extends about a portion of the circumference of the tube which ascends, on the one hand, in the circumferential direction of the tube to the upper tube edge and, on the other hand, also ascends from the outer peripheral surface of the tube to the inner peripheral surface of the tube. This slot enables a pneumatic or manual threading into the tube without lifting the brake disk from the upper tube edge when in the interior of the tube a vacuum flow is generated. For threading a thread through the thread brake, it is sufficient to bring the end of the thread at the outer peripheral surface of the tube into the vicinity of the slot so that it is entrained by the vacuum flow and, for example, is threaded into a double twisting spindle. This known thread brake with self-threading action is not comparable to a thread guide or centering eye which is mounted in the case of a twisting spindle in a spindle cover covering the spindle pot. DE 81 16 261 U1 describes a similar thread brake.

[0005] Similar conditions are also present in a thread brake which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,038. This device contains a tube-shaped brake housing having a thread intake opening positioned on the axis of the brake housing; a brake surface ring arranged within the brake housing at an axial spacing from the thread intake opening and having an annular opening that extends coaxially to the axis of the brake housing; and a circular braking member which rests against the brake surface ring. In order to enable a pneumatic threading of the thread, the thread brake is provided with a bypass channel, laterally bypassing within the brake housing the brake surface ring, and a slot in the brake surface ring, the slot adjoining one end of the bypass channel and extending spirally to the annular opening of the brake surface ring. For a pneumatic insertion or threading of a thread through the thread brake, the thread can be transported by means of a vacuum flow generated within the tube-shaped brake housing, following the air flow through the upper thread intake opening and laterally past the brake location, defined by the braking surface ring and the braking member, through the bypass channel and through the brake housing. When starting up a working location provided with such a thread brake, for example, a twisting spindle or a two-for-one spindle, the thread follows, while circulating about the brake housing axis, the spiral shape of the bypass channel and, in this way, is automatically threaded via the slot in the brake surface ring into a position between the brake surface ring and the brake member. This self-threading thread brake of the prior art also cannot be compared with respect to its operating system to a centering eye or thread guide provided in a spindle cover of a twisting spindle.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0006] The invention has the object to configure a twisting spindle of the aforementioned kind such that the threading process through the thread guide or centering eye provided at the upper side of the spindle cover is simplified.

[0007] As a solution to this object it is provided that the centering eye, as a self-threading eye, is provided with a lateral slot which opens into an operating opening provided at the upper side of the protective hood.

[0008] With such a configuration, the thread to be threaded into the thread guide or centering eye can be inserted either manually or also automatically in a relatively simple way through the operating opening so that, at the latest upon starting up the spindle, it moves through the slot into the centering eye.

[0009] In order to ensure independent of the removal direction of the thread, i.e., removal direction “p” in the clockwise direction or removal direction “q” in the counterclockwise direction, a proper spindle running, an essentially known self-threading thread guide or centering eye is used which, in the area of its slot, is provided, on the one hand, with partially overlapping slantedly extending thread guide surfaces and thread guide edges which are complementary thereto.

[0010] Accordingly, the invention relates furthermore to the use of such self-threading thread guides in a twisting spindle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011]FIG. 1 shows the complete configuration of a twisting spindle of a conventional design.

[0012]FIG. 2 shows in an isometric illustration a view of the spindle cover of a twisting spindle configured in accordance with the invention.

[0013]FIG. 3a shows a first detail view of a self-threading thread guide.

[0014]FIG. 3b shows a second detail view of a self-threading thread guide.

[0015]FIG. 3c shows a perspective view of a self-threading thread guide.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The twisting spindle Z illustrated in FIG. 1 is supported on a spindle rail B. The twisting spindle has a spindle pot 1 for receiving a first yarn bobbin SP1. The thread F1 removed from the yarn bobbin SP1 is guided through a thread brake 1.5 which is supported on the spindle cover 1.4 forming the top part of the spindle pot 1. The thread which is removed overhead from the first yarn bobbin passes downstream of the thread brake 1.5 into the thread guide 1.6, provided at the upper side of the truncated cone-shaped spindle cover 1.4 and embodied as a closed ring, and subsequently through a balloon thread guide 2 which is fastened by means of holder 2.1 on the machine frame that is only schematically indicated.

[0017] A second yarn bobbin SP2 is arranged outside of the spindle pot 1. The thread F2 removed from it is guided from below axially through the hollow axle of the spindle, is then deflected in the radial direction, and exits radially from the thread storage disk 1.3 which is rotated by means of a spindle whorl 1.1 by a drive belt 1.2. The spindle pot 1 is surrounded by a cylindrically configured balloon limiter 3. The thread F2 is guided in the intermediate space between the exterior of the spindle pot 1 and the inner wall of the balloon limiter 3 in the upper direction and is then guided through the balloon guide eye 2.

[0018] The produced twisted yarn is then supplied by a deflecting roller 4 to an uptake device 5 in order to be wound onto, for example, a cross bobbin 6.

[0019] According to FIG. 2, in the upper side of the truncated cone-shaped spindle cover 1.4 according to the invention, a self-threading thread guide or centering eye 1.42 with a central opening is inserted. The thread guide 1.42 has a lateral slot that opens into an operating opening 1.43 provided at the upper side 1.41 of the spindle cover 1.4. This operating opening 1.43 has such an opening cross-section that a thread to be threaded into the thread guide 1.42 can be manually or automatically threaded in a simple way first through this operating opening 1.43 so that, at the latest upon starting up the twisting spindle, the thread moves through the lateral slot into the central opening of the thread guide or centering eye.

[0020] The self-threading thread guides having a guide body a, al illustrated in FIGS. 3a, 3 b, and 3 c are provided in the area of the lateral slot with slantedly oriented thread guide surfaces b, c; b1, c1 and complementary thread guide edges and configured such that in the removal direction “p”, i.e., in the clockwise direction according to FIGS. 3b and 3 c, as well as in the removal direction “q”, i.e., in the counterclockwise direction, a safe threading is possible and a safe thread run is ensured during spindle operation.

[0021] While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A twisting spindle comprising: a spindle pot having a spindle cover; wherein the spindle cover has an upper side provided with an operating opening; a centrally arranged thread guide connected to the upper side of the spindle cover; wherein the thread guide has a lateral slot; and wherein the lateral slot opens into the operating opening arranged in the upper side of the spindle cover.
 2. A thread guide comprising: a guide body having a central opening and a lateral slot communicating with the central opening and extending outwardly away from the central opening; wherein the lateral slot has slanted guide surfaces and guide edges, wherein the guide surfaces guide a thread automatically toward the central opening of the thread guide.
 3. A method of threading a twisting spindle, the method comprising the steps of: arranging a thread guide, having a guide body with a central opening and a lateral slot communicating with the central opening and extending outwardly away from the central opening, wherein the lateral slot has slanted guide surfaces, in a spindle cover of a twisting spindle such that the lateral slot opens into an operating opening of the spindle cover; inserting a thread into the operating opening; guiding with the guide surfaces provided on the lateral slot the thread automatically into the central opening of the thread guide when the twisting spindle is started. 